RHEA::HARDY::GLASSER%Shasta@SU-Score (12/14/82)
Reply to: {ARPA} Daniel Glasser at HARDY c/o <DEC-SFL at DEC-Marlboro>
{uucp} ...!decvax!sultan!dag
Music:
In a comment on SF related music in SFL V6 #99, John Francis listed
the song "I'm the Urban Spaceman", by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
{Yes, that is their name} as being SF. Though it has "Spaceman"
in the title, it is not SF. However, the same group did do several
SF songs, most notably "Beautiful Zela from Galaxy IV". This song was
on the album "The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhous" (Sunset SLS.50210 -
England).
I was listening to "The Book of Invasions -- A Celtic Symphony" (DJM -
DJLPA-10) by Horslips, and noted a bit of SF/Fantasy sounding lyrics
on the cuts "Trouble" ('High on the mountain stands a boat, but are gods
or real folk?') and "Sideways to the Sun" ('But you won't see us, we've
grown sideways to the sun.') The album is, on the whole, very good
listening, and is based on a twelfth century chronicle of the various
pre-Christian colonisations of Ireland.
Shrinking:
I've read some stories which involve shrinking in some historical
collections of SF of the thirties and fourties. The names of the
compilations and the names and authors of the stories escape me,
all of my SF collection is packed for moving. When I unpack, I'll
name names, if nobody else has done so. The one that sticks in my
mind (such as it is) concerns a scientist who discovers that atoms
are solar systems and shrinks himself for a visit to a civilized
planet which is one of the electrons (Taking the Bohr model too
literally...). Another has a scientist growing a portion of a
speck-of-dust planet to our scale and having its flora and fauna
run amok on earth.
Intro To SF:
My first SF is unclear - The first I remember clearly was "Needle"
by Hal Clement. The second was "Foundation and Empire" (Asimov)
followed by the two other books of the former trilogy. Since then
I've been an addict.
Miscl:
Didn't ANYBODY else out there like "TITAN" or "WIZARD" by Varley?
I did not think it was that bad.
Thanks for the disk space,
Daniel GlasserAlan%DCT.AC.UK%DUNDEE.AC.UK@ucl-cs.ARPA (07/25/85)
From: Alan Greig <CCD-ARG%dct@ucl-cs.arpa> [No quoutes guaranteed accurate !!!!!!] Ok, well now that this discussion is well underway, I think I'll throw in a bit more in the way of answering some points and bringing up a few new ones. Genesis Its often difficult to decide when music is science fact and not science fiction. For instance Genesis: :"The Return Of The Giant Hogweed" has been mentioned as a pisstake of the Triffids. Well pisstake it may be but but fiction it most certainly isn't. The Giant Hogweed plant is a serious menace in many parts of the UK and can kill or at least badly disfigure. All Gabriel did was to beef up botanical *fact*. Certainly though a lot of Genesis music (particularly that of Gabriel, Banks and Rutherford) was heavily SF influenced - how about "Get 'em out by Friday" This is an announcement from Genetic Control It is my sad duty to inform you Of a four foot restriction on humanoid height ........... We can fit twice as many in the same building site or the Mellotron (?) at the start of "Watcher of the Skies" which is designed to sound like the sound of a giant spaceship landing on earth to find .... nothing. I could talk about Genesis all day but I'd better move on. Daniel R Levy <ttrdc!levy@topaz.arpa> asked who recorded "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft". Well it was the Carpenters and there's an interesting story to go along with it. Back in the days when everyone was Flying Saucer mad, one of the British UFO societies wrote a little 'prayer' which was to be recited by all their members all over the world at exactly the same time in the hope that some alien race would pick up the united call by telepathy and come and visit us. This was around the mid '50s and as far as I can see did not work ! What connection does this have with the Carpenters ? Answer "Calling Occupants.." is an almost word perfect recital of this set to music. 2112 There have been separate mentions of SF songs and SF stories which are based around music and I'm surprised that although Rush: "2112" has been mentioned in the first category, nobody has put it in the second as well. I'll stick my neck out then. The words are clearly SF but also the story revolves around - What can this strange device be ? .... Its got wires that vibrate and give music ... Its just a toy that helped destroy the elder race of man Forget about your silly whims It doesn't fit the Plan The find is of course a guitar and he realises that despite what the Priests tell him that it is a symbol of the creativity and beauty thet didn't destroy the elder race but instead drove it off out into the galaxy. Expanding, building and creating as they go, leaving the stunted remains of civilisation on earth. The Hitchhiker's Guide Not all of the backing music used was by the BBC radiophonic workshop. I identified such things as the Bee Gee's "Night Fever" played backwards when Zaphod and Rooster go to a disco - "Hey Rooster I've just had this really hoopy idea". Music from Sparks "Number One Song in Heaven" also appears. Trying to identify the tracks after the radiophonic work shop have got at it can be quite fun ! Note also how many times Dire Straits get mentioned in "So Long and Thanks.." So there's a bit more coal for the fire. Meanwhile I'll just go back to listening to some more tapes..... Alan Greig Computer Centre Dundee College of Technology Dundee Scotland Janet: Alan%DCT@DDXA Arpa: Alan%DCT@UCL-CS.ARPA -------